Learning
Storymobile visits Propel Elementary. Photo by Annie O'Neill
At a Glance
- Family and Child Well-being
- Holistic Education
- Workforce Readiness
The Endowments’ Learning area incorporates the activities of the foundation’s former Education and Children, Youth & Families program departments. The Learning area seeks to create conditions that foster equitable opportunities for all children and their families, especially those living in vulnerable neighborhoods.
We focus on child and family well-being, holistic education and workforce readiness. The Endowments partners with communities to help build on their strengths and resourcefulness, to support existing strategies, and to inspire, seed and incubate new ideas designed for all to thrive. Our work within this strategy is guided by the following principles:
- Recognize that learning happens best within the context of relationships;
- Embrace a spirit of authentic collaboration by involving the community as the key agent, co-creator and producer of change;
- Utilize learning from national and global models;
- Promote innovation by seeking new ideas to address persistent challenges, especially in individual neighborhoods;
- Consider how neighborhood lessons influence broader systems; and
- Commit to ongoing assessment
Goals & Strategies
Goal 1: Family and Child Well-Being
Supports children as they grow, imagine and create.
Strategies - Healthy communities exist when healthy families exist. Family and child well-being comes from supports and resources that strengthen their physical, mental, social and environmental health. The Learning Strategic Area will partner and collaborate with a variety of community agencies and grantees who contribute to this healthy and safe ecosystem in the following areas:
Maternal Health
- Build effective partnerships to make the best use of resources and minimize duplication in efforts to improve maternal and newborn health.
- Invest in activities that support maternal and newborn health.
Child Health: encompassing environmental, physical, social and emotional development
- Work with community and grantees to define approaches to the safety, nutrition, and health of children.
- Employ interventions that address environmental factors affecting the safety, nutrition, and health of young children.
- Identify and support grantees that can address health promotion, protection, and disease prevention as they apply to early childhood development and education.
- Promote family engagement and strengthen supports.
- Collaborate with community organizations and grantees to identify consistent family engagement goals.
- Develop families’ knowledge and skills in financial literacy to address their specific needs (such as safety, housing, health, budget and finances, and overall well-being).
- Use positive parenting practices with families such as attachment and nurturing relationships that complement the stages of their child’s development.
- Advance families’ own learning and utilize social service agency resources to assist their educational goals.
- Elicit strong family participation in their children’s learning by developing skills, attitudes, and behaviors to promote school readiness at school and home.
- Provide leadership development programs for participating families to cultivate and strengthen self-efficacy and leadership skills.
Endowments' point of contact: Carmen Anderson, Director of Equity and Social Justice
Goal 2. Holistic Education
Supports child, adolescent and adult learning from birth through post-secondary.
Strategies - Recognizing that education with a holistic perspective is concerned with the development of an individual’s intellectual, emotional, social, physical, artistic, creative, and spiritual potential. Learning will seek to engage community agencies and grantees who engage students in a teaching/learning process in the following areas:
- Individualized learning – a methodology in which curriculum, use of technology and environment, pace of learning and assessing understanding are to a large degree informed by the abilities and interests of each learner and their teachers’ uses of differentiated instruction.
- Technology to support equitable learning opportunities – Student access to technology and digital fluency is a prerequisite for full participation in high-quality education opportunities. Goals for improved educational achievement and increased participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning and careers will be through the integral use of technology.
- Enrichment and the arts – Involvement in the arts is often cited as influencing student gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skills. Consequently, arts learning should be intentionally woven into student learning experiences to further bolster motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork.
- Youth leadership and advocacy – Youth leadership is promoted through activities and experiences that help youth develop social, ethical, emotional, physical, and cognitive competencies. Effective programs support a young person in developing self-efficacy; confidence; motivation; and the ability to analyze her own strengths and weaknesses, set personal and vocational goals, and connect them to a larger social system beyond self.
- Educator development and support – Research shows that four core teaching skills essential to providing the greatest impact for student growth and achievement are creating an engaging learning environment, planning for successful outcomes, delivering relevant instruction, and analyzing and adjusting teaching practices.
Endowments' point of contact: Michelle Figlar, Vice President, Learning
Goal 3. Workforce Readiness
Connects school and industry to help launch career pathways.
Strategies - Members of the workforce require tools, resources, approaches and policies that will prepare them for their roles, facilitate their success throughout their career, and support them in adjusting and adapting to new opportunities, knowledge, and changes occurring in the 21st century workplace. As a strategic area, Learning will support grantees and community organizations focused on workforce readiness and development, and will encourage access to appropriate data, partnerships, training, leadership development, industry-based experiences and equipment that address:
- Career pathways in secondary schools – Preparation for careers requires scaffolding of coursework and work-based experiences that are aligned to student interest and ability. Consequently, this notion of a pathway can be introduced at the onset of high school, or earlier, and can be tailored to address one’s learning and life beyond graduation into vocation.
- Higher education collaboration – Designing a formal pipeline for the education of a community’s children must take into consideration that learning is a life-long pursuit. It continues into adulthood either in a specified area where a certificate of completion, technical designation, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree will provide a point of entry into a variety of careers for students. Likewise, given the advances of technology and the explosion of data, collaboration between secondary schools and higher education is vital to prepare students to work in careers that solve society’s needs and problems that currently exist today and/or have yet to materialize.
- Building industry and educator collaboration and capacity – Industry often laments that there exists a disconnection between how schools are preparing students for life beyond education and what industry says it needs in the workplace. Creating an exchange between teachers and industry could better help each develop a clear understanding of how they might more intelligently develop students who can think, create and lead in this new world of work.
- Youth employment – Youth ages 15 to 24 appear to be in greatest need of employment in many of the nation’s urban areas. Aligning education with workplace experiences and opportunities and getting commitments from industry to help develop a pathway to entry level jobs for this population – if certain criteria are met – is a means to build capacity and honor in working.
Endowments' point of contact: Stanley Thompson, Director, Education
The region’s child care system – challenged before COVID-19 by unsustainable funding models and inequity – has the potential to adversely affect our economy as the pandemic rages on. Read the Endowments-supported report from Fourth Economy to learn what is at stake, and what we can do.
Read the report
Read the 90.5 WESA story
The Heinz Endowments has suspended its Summer Youth Philanthropy initiative as a stand-alone program to focus more on its support and further development of its youth advocacy efforts funded by its Learning and Creativity program areas. Our commitment is to continue to address critical needs that serve the well-being of and successful outcomes for children, families and youth in the Pittsburgh region.
Program Staff
Stanley W. Thompson
Senior Program Director, Education and Executive Director, Pittsburgh Readiness Institute
Apply for a Grant
Find out how to apply for a grant and other details related to the application process.
Apply Now
Stay up to date
Sign up to receive email updates and announcements from the Endowments.
Sign up
Penn State Readiness Institute launches Hope Moonshot to send messages to the moon
Newly established Readiness Institute at Penn State names inaugural leader
The Heinz Endowments awards grant to Penn State Outreach for Readiness Institute
Endowments awards major funding to support region’s arts organizations impacted by COVID-19 pandemic
Study: Loss Of Thousands Of Child Care Spots In Allegheny County Will Hurt Parents, Workforce
Gwen’s Girls launches See the Best in Me campaign to celebrate Black Girls Equity Month
Dragon’s Den rope challenge course opening in former Homestead church
Pivot to remote learning creates a chance to reinvent K-12 education
AIU receives $1.5 million to assist schools through pandemic
New Research Details Racial, Socioeconomic Inequities During School Shutdown Across Allegheny County
Endowments announces major public-private child care initiative
New tool gives real-time childcare facility information to families
The Association for Supportive Child Care Receives Multiple Awards to Help Struggling Home-Based Caregivers and Child Care Center
Heinz Endowments awards over $600,000 to help provide computers for local students following school closures
Pittsburgh’s tech and nonprofit communities come together to get laptops to students in need
Pittsburgh Public Schools goes big to get all 23,000 students studying from home starting April 16
Pittsburgh Public Schools Preparing For Online Instruction
Heinz Endowments launches Pittsburgh Readiness Institute to prepare high school seniors for careers
Endowments invests $700K to launch program that prepares youth for future work and commitment to community
Heinz Endowments initiative aims to prepare students for professional, private life
PPS Plans To Re-launch Teacher Diversity Initiative With 2 Local Universities
The Heinz Endowments commits $10 Mil in funding — Investing in a child’s well-being from prenatal to age 3 is beneficial
Heinz Endowments Launches $10 Million Early Childhood Initiative
Endowments announces $10 million funding for prenatal to age 3 well-being, education initiative
Heinz Endowments commits $10 million to support young children, families Photo of Joyce Gannon
Local Groups Will Help Pittsburgh Public School District 'Re-Imagine' How It Teaches Students
Superintendent Anthony Hamlet announces new strategic plan for city schools
Allegheny County receives $200K grant for infant, maternal health program
Report: County needs new department to address kids' needs
PGH Public Schools Postpones Teacher Diversity Program, Dropping Private College Partnership
The mission—Getting more Black teachers into PPS
Pittsburgh Public Schools launches pilot program to diversify teacher workforce
Grown-up solutions to combat child poverty
United Way of the Laurel Highlands kicks off fundraising campaign
William Isler, Audrey Russo & Jake Witherell: Gap in nontraditional child care undermines economic growth
Allegheny County Children's Fund working group to make recommendations to Fitzgerald
Students from Pittsburgh attending International Congress of Youth Voices
With 'Hello Baby' officials aim to reach all babies born in Allegheny County -- with an algorithm targeting those most at risk
Woodland Hills Suspended Fewer Students By Using A Restorative Model
Internship program to award funding for change
Carnegie’s Library Park nearing finish line
International Congress of Youth Voices Brings Together Authors and Activists in Puerto Rico
Heinz Endowments donates $1M to Pittsburgh Promise
Heinz Endowments gives $1 million to Pittsburgh Promise
After success in Africa, Open Field launches programming in Pittsburgh
The Heinz Endowments awards 300k in support of JHF programs for women and seniors
Meetings planned to gauge interest, get feedback about countywide Children's Fund
County to examine Children's Fund for early learning, after school programs
Greater Allegheny offers blended IST degree with help from the Heinz Endowments
Group serves community with food, toys and laughter
FREE THINC30 SUMMIT ON OCT. 17 ASKS HOW PITTSBURGH CAN BE A CITY FOR ALL
Seeing no big plan for struggling Pittsburgh kids, visiting Scots urge: 'Just do it.'
Riverview Children's Center adds classrooms, other amenities with $2 million expansion
A new way to engage kids? Science museum opens first-ever classroom for preschoolers
NEXT Up: Kenny Donaldson on helping the most marginalized students in Pittsburgh
New Pitt Research: Glaring Racial Disparities in Out-of-school Suspensions; a Warning About the Role of On-site Law Enforcement
Pitt Study Finds Link Between School Suspensions & Students In Juvenile Justice System
Pitt study looks at disparities in school suspensions
Study Shows Glaring Racial Disparities In School Suspension Rates In Allegheny County
Health department receives $200K grant for program to decrease infant mortality
Students see the tech side of sports broadcasting with visit to AT&T SportsNet
Penn Hills Family Care Connection plans grand opening
'In the trenches': Team led by Duquesne U. helps after-school programs tackle childhood trauma
WorkZone: Bystanders must speak out to prevent sexual harassment
'One voice can change a life': A program in Pittsburgh is helping high school students find — and raise — their voices
CYF: An agency that works, helping kids and their families
New frontiers: A clever CMU program scouts out the latest in artificial intelligence
The other epidemic that’s killing our kids
Leadership program at Woodland Hills aimed at fifth, sixth graders
Fred Rogers Co. receives $3M expansion grant
Heinz Endowments advances children’s educational media with $3M grant to The Fred Rogers Company
From Flint to Pittsburgh, children need protection from lead, pediatrician says
Ahead of our time in life sciences
Plum board looking at proposal to perk up high school library
Endowments names Mac Howison as Program Officer for Creative Learning
New Pittsburgh multicultural unit to translate 5 languages for immigrants
Pittsburgh's new multicultural unit will help communication — in Arabic, Chinese, Nepali, Spanish and Swahili
Despite greater scrutiny, depth of schools' lead problem unclear
Youth Philanthropy grants to help nonprofits serve children, improve communities
Robotics institute set to anchor Pittsburgh's mammoth Almono development
Obama coach ensures swimming skills aren't just for dreamers
Philanthropy interns look to community for proposals
Student group secures grant for Plum school library upgrades
BMe Community Genius Awards held at the Heinz History Center
Pa. House budget plan would spike child care wait lists, advocates say
Pittsburgh groups work to rid schools and child care centers of lead, radon
1,000 Hours a Year initiative will help local schools test for lead and radon
Pittsburgh environmental groups launch initiative to help schools and child-care facilities address lead and radon
This new initiative will help Pittsburgh-area schools and pre-schools test for lead and radon
Allegheny County Health Department to deploy anti-gun violence teams
Report: County needs new department to address kids' needs
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
October 22, 2019
Allegheny County should create a department dedicated to improving early childhood education and after-school programs, according to the report of a 25-member working group created in March by County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.
READ MORE
Grown-up solutions to combat child poverty
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
September 24, 2019
Some communities refuse to just sit back and watch tens of thousands of children grow up in poverty — a circumstance that makes them more likely to face diminished educational and job prospects, violence, incarceration
...
READ MORE
Internship program to award funding for change
the Tribune-Democrat,
July 19, 2019
A group of students are getting the opportunity to enhance their community, while gaining valuable lessons in teamwork and decision-making, through the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies’ Youth Philanthropy Internship program.
READ MORE
Carnegie’s Library Park nearing finish line
Trib Live,
July 3, 2019
Connecting the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, located at the top of a steep hillside, to Carnegie’s business district below has long been a dream for many. The Library Park project includes the
...
READ MORE
Heinz Endowments donates $1M to Pittsburgh Promise
Trib Live,
June 12, 2019
The Heinz Endowments announced Wednesday it is making a $1 million contribution to the Pittsburgh Promise scholarship program, bringing to $19.4 million the total donated over the program’s decade of existence.
READ MORE
CYF: An agency that works, helping kids and their families
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
February 11, 2018
Marc Cherna came to Pennsylvania from New Jersey to run Allegheny County’s Children, Youth and Families agency in 1996, a time when CYF was a national disgrace for endangering children rather than aiding vulnerable families.
READ MORE
The other epidemic that’s killing our kids
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,
January 7, 2018
In many of our communities in Allegheny County, there is a largely unrecognized contagious disease killing our children. Our communities are being exposed every day to this terrible disease, and we don’t have enough resources,
...
READ MORE
Despite greater scrutiny, depth of schools' lead problem unclear
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review,
September 2, 2017
Ronald Joseph recalled waking up anxious every Friday for two months straight. The chief technology officer of Pennsylvania's second-largest school district described having "a hold-your-breath moment" each week during summer 2016 as he met with
...
READ MORE
Philanthropy interns look to community for proposals
Daily American,
July 19, 2017
Working through the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and funded by Pittsburgh’s Heinz Endowments, two teams of interns have $25,000 each to grant community organizations looking to better engage and prepare their county’s youth. The
...
READ MORE